good books for bright 12/13 year olds

59 replies

sphil · 02/02/2012 19:15

I am about to start a short English intervention programme with a group of Yr 8s who are on the G&T register for reading. Any ideas for a good text? I should avoid novels they're likely to study for GCSE.
TIA

OP posts:

marriedinwhite · 02/02/2012 21:46

DD has just come down from her bookcase:

North Child (One that, although long and inclusive of unrealistic Polar Bears and superstition, is incredibly enjoyable)
Watership Down
Blood Child (With a depth of description on Human Psychology and the unexplained effects of amnesia on a boy who already seems to have a form of autism, this is a must read. With the added bonus of strange things happening anyway, it leaves the reader wanting to know what's going on.)
Alice in Wonderland - read it if interested in analysing things.

With annotations from DD! She is 13, an avid reader and hugely individual and has gone upstairs and chosen some things she has genuinely enjoyed and thinks others of her age might also.

Original poster

sphil · 02/02/2012 21:40

OK, so I have another question. I haven't taught English full time for 10 years, so bear with me.

How much swearing in novels is OK for kids of this age? Curious Incident has a certain amount of f**ks I notice - when I was teaching (in London and Sussex) this woud have been a complete no-no for students under 15 or so. I have no problem with it personally, as long as it's in context and not gratuitous, but what about parents? The teaching I'm going to be doing is at a middle school, and I know that a couple of parents were a bit about Noughts and Crosses because of the content, so just wondered...

OP posts:

marriedinwhite · 02/02/2012 21:36

Chinese Cinderella
Goodnight Mr Tom
If I Stay by Gail Foreman
Up on Cloud Nine, Ann Fine
Mallory Blackman O's and Crosses

dd who is 13 has also got her nose stuck into Sebastian Faulks but the parents might not approve.

MandyT68 · 02/02/2012 20:25

I don't know where you are but I read they are doing Curious Incident as a play at the National Theatre which might be something for them to look forward to and you could look at the problems of getting a novel to the stage/screen. No idea of dates but I live too far away and would love to go.

tabulahrasa · 02/02/2012 19:29

I've done Curious Incident with 13/14 yr olds, they really enjoyed it and it's good for more complicated ideas about unreliable narration and the effect of structure

Original poster

sphil · 02/02/2012 19:29

Thank you - great ideas. I am seriously considering A Curious Incident, but will have a look at the others as well.

I forgot to mention that I only have them for 6 hours altogether - an hour a week for 6 weeks.

OP posts:

mindgone · 02/02/2012 19:28

My son loves Agatha Christie and Sherlock Holmes!

MandyT68 · 02/02/2012 19:23

Book Thief by Marcus Zusak.
1984
Cider with Rosie
My Family and Other Animals
Curious Incident...
No 1 Ladies' Detective Agency
Coram Boy
Last Train from Kummersdorf

Just a few I am using with my classes at the moment. Hope this helps

maree1 · 02/02/2012 19:19

Try som Dickens (really) and Alexander McCall Smith - have some fun with a bit of background research first.

Unflip

1 2 3

Swipe left for the next trending thread